Amit Shah visits strategic Siliguri corridor linking Northeast India

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is in Siliguri for a two-day visit to oversee key border infrastructure projects in one of India's most strategically sensitive regions. The visit focuses on the narrow corridor, colloquially known as the 'Chicken's Neck', which serves as the primary land link between India's Northeast and the rest of the country.

The 22-kilometre-wide passage is hemmed in by international borders with China to the north, Nepal to the west, Bangladesh to the south, and Bhutan to the east, making it a critical zone for national security. The geographical vulnerability of this corridor has long been a concern for Indian security planners.

During his visit, Shah will travel to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) frontier headquarters where he is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for several border security initiatives. The minister will also interact with security personnel deployed in the region to assess operational challenges and ground-level security arrangements.

On Saturday, Shah is expected to chair a high-level meeting to review security preparedness and coordinate inter-agency efforts in the region. The visit underscores the central government's focus on fortifying India's northeastern frontiers amid growing strategic competition in South Asia.